Exodus 18:13-27 - Jethro's Wise Advice

¹³ And it came to pass another day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning unto the evening. ¹⁴ And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this that thou doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone and all the people stand before thee from morning unto evening?

¹⁵ And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God. ¹⁶ When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I declare unto them the statutes of God and his laws.

¹⁷ Then Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. ¹⁸ Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee; for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. ¹⁹ Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people before God that thou may submit the causes unto God. ²⁰ And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws and shalt show them the way in which they must walk and the work that they must do. ²¹ Moreover thou shalt consider out of all the people men of virtue, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place princes over them, of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²² And let them judge the people at all seasons; and it shall be that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge, so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. ²³ If thou shalt do this thing and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

²⁴ So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. ²⁵ And Moses chose men of virtue out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, princes over thousands, over hundreds, over fifties, and over tens. ²⁶ And they judged the people at all seasons; the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

²⁷ And Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went to his own land.